Greetings Yogis!
I hope everyone had a great week. Lots of excitement with the canoe marathon tonight, and finally some respite from all that heat! Despite the rain yesterday, we had an awesome Yoga Hike through the woods, and it was amazingly gorgeous and calming. I think we were all a little surprised at how lovely it was to walk in the rain.
A couple of schedule changes for next week. The Thursday evening Gentle Yoga class will move to Wednesday evening, still from 6:00pm – 7:00pm. Also, there will be no Yoga Hike next Friday. Everyone is still welcome to walk, bike or run on the trails free of charge.
I wanted to share a few thoughts on the yogic breathing we’ve been working on in class, Ujjayi pranayama, which translates literally into “victorious breath” or is sometimes called “ocean breath”. This ancient form of breathing is done to build and maintain heat within the body, build stamina in the lungs, and help regulate the breath to coincide with moving from asana (pose) to asana. The main purpose of Ujjayi breathing is to allow prana, or energy, to build and flow freely within the body without letting it escape through the mouth (hence inhaling and exhaling through the nose). This flow of prana within the body helps us access challenging poses and receive maximum benefit from our asana practice.
If you have given Ujjayi breathing a try and been able to sustain it for a few minutes, you may have noticed this feeling of heat and/or energy coursing through the body. It is especially noticeable when standing in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) after a couple sun salutations, or in Downward Facing Dog.
To practice Ujjayi pranayama, begin by sitting cross legged on the ground or upright in a chair, and taking a full inhale through the nose. Let the belly expand, feel the lungs fill with air, and let the chest rise. Now, exhale with an open mouth and whisper the word “hot”. The glottis in the throat will close slightly, and it should sound like you’re trying to fog up a mirror. This is the sound of Ujjayi.
Now, practice making that same sound on your exhale, but with your mouth closed. Once you get a feel for this, try closing the glottis on the inhale. This is slightly more difficult, but a crucial part of complete Ujjayi pranayama. The inhalation and exhalation should both be the same length, and your breath should reach all the way down into your belly and not just occur in the clavicular chest.
There is a lot of info on the internet about Ujjayi pranayama. I found this article particularly useful in case you’re interested in reading further.
I find Ujjayi to be particularly inspiring during a yoga practice, and when I’m practicing it always gives me a boost to hear my fellow students breath with Ujjayi. So don’t be self conscious! Let your breath work for you in yoga, and let it inspire your neighbor. The breath is truly the link between the physical and the energetic realms.
Have a great weekend! Namaste.
